Transfer process



Patented June 6, 1944 TRANSFER PROCES S Giuseppe Tagliab'ue, Monza, Italy; vested in the Alien Property Custodian No Drawing. Application April 26, 1940, Serial No. 331,888. In Germany May 27, 1939 1 Claim.

This invention relates to processes for the superficial decoration of articles by means of transfers. The invention is adapted for the decoration of articles of stone, textile fabrics, wood and other porous articles with designs, in colour if desired, which will be fixed in an indelible manner. The process according to the present invention overcomes inconveniences of known processes based on simple superficial adhesion of transfer films on the surface to be decorated, such as difficulty in applying the transfer and liability of stripping or rubbing off the applied design.

The process according to the present invention is characterised by the desired design, having if desired a plurality of colours, being previously printed on a transfer sheet impermeable to the employed colours by means of a printing medium comprising fine, crushed pigments mixed with a hydrocarbon solvent-excluding aniline derivativesand 20 %-30% addition of transparent resin, the latter being of a kind liquefiable on a water-bath and which at the liquid state, can penetrate into the pores of the surface of the article to be decorated when the transfer sheet is applied with its printed face on the said surface previously moistened with hydrocarbon solvent, whereupon the action of heat and pressure is mployed until the resin is melted.

Under these conditions the melted resin and pigment intimately mixed therewith tend to penetrate into the porous superficial layer of the article to be decorated, whereby the design is transferred to this layer without mixing of colours and without change.

The perfection of the result depends on a suitable choice of resin to be used and, above all, on the mode of introducing the resin into the printing medium. Excellent results were obtained making use of colophony and similar resins. This resin can be introduced into the colouring pastes used in the transfer as a very fine powder, intimately mixed with the mass; more perfect results can be obtained, however, by dissolving the resin with heating in a hydrocarbon solvent, preferably similar to the hydrocarbon utilized for preparing the pigment solution or suspension, for example,

gasoline or the like. Th resin solution obtained in this manner is mixed with the colour suspension in a manner to form a homogeneous mixture easy to use as a printing medium.

Th transfer sheets on which the decoration is previously printed may consist of any material suitable to receive the print without diffusion and mixing of colours, but preferably sheets are used which are naturally impermeable, or are rendered impermeable by treatment. Good results are obtained by immersing the sheets in pure cellulose, containing a resin solution analogous to the above-mentioned resin solution, preferably utilizing the same resin and the same hydrocarbon. With this hydrocarbon the surface of the article to be decorated is moistened before applying the printed transfer sheets.

The area of surface which can be decorated at one end the same time is evidently limited only by the printing operation, which allows printing very long rolled sheets of considerable width. A plurality of sheets can be easily joined on the edges, whereby it is possible to decorate very extended surfaces with only one transfer operation.

The details of execution of the described process may be varied in accordance Withthe nature of the surface to be decorated, the type of decoration and the nature of the utilized colours without departing from the scope of the present invention.

What I claim is:

A process for decorating a porous surface of an article which comprises producing the desired design on a transfer sheet by using a liquid mixture capable of penetrating the pores of the article, said sheet being impermeable to said mixture; moistening the porous surface of the article with a liquid miscible with said mixture; applyin the sheet carrying the design directly to the moistened porous surface of the article so that the design is in contact with said porous surface; and applying pressure to said sheet sufficient to cause the mixture to penetrate into the pores of said surface.

GIUSEPPE 'IlAGLIABUE. 

